


10 Years

by Crazynumnums



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Gen, Mild lack of substance, Profiling, episode 17, season 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:47:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21659275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazynumnums/pseuds/Crazynumnums
Summary: A 'future look' at Jody Hatchett from "Solitary Man" (5x17) and how her life might have gone since those events.
Kudos: 8





	10 Years

**Author's Note:**

> I just had to write this after seeing Solitary Man (Season 5, Episode 17), and having a lengthy discussion with my mum about what would happen to her after all of that. Hope you enjoy!

**_ March 10, 2020 _ **

Eighteen-year-old Jody Hatchett walked across the road in the spitting rain, indifferent to the miserable weather. It couldn’t even compare to her mood. It was the ten-year anniversary of her father’s death. Ten years since she found out what happened to Miss Clemons.

Ten years since she found out what her father had done to those poor women.

Quantico was about what she expected. She rode up the elevator, to what she hoped was the correct floor. She just wanted to see the faces of those people who had saved her life all those years ago. Well, perhaps not ‘saved her life’, but certainly protected her.

She entered the bullpen, where she saw some new faces, but she also saw some familiar ones. “Can we help you?” A handsome man, with a particularly strong jawline, asked her, and she instantly became a little flustered, as she tended to do. She flashed her visitor’s badge to him. “M-my name’s Jody Hatchett.”

It was clear that the man was going to ask for a little more information, but she’d fortunately gotten the attention of another agent. And she was pretty sure she recognised this one. “I’ve seen you before,” she said, and he smiled.

“Yeah, I remember you. Although you were a lot smaller than you are now. How do you remember me?” Spencer’s eyes narrowed in curiosity.

“Are you serious?” She laughed, and he raised his eyebrows. “I remember everyone who helped! You guys became, like, my idols! Even though I’d only seen you like three times since—” She stopped speaking immediately, her mixed feelings showing through, and the smirk on Spencer’s face dropped.

“Is that why you’re here?”

Before Jody could answer, she saw another recognizable face. “Jennifer? JJ? What do I call you?”

“JJ works. And you are?”

“Jody Hatchett. I came here to… I don’t know. I guess just to remember the good side of that day.”

“Well, why don’t we set up in a different room? I’ll invite in Emily, and you can tell us about what’s happened with you.”

Jody nodded, and JJ bounded up the stairs quickly, knocking on the door of Emily’s office. Her beaming face shot through the door, and she immediately locked eyes with Jody.

* * *

“Is this… is this it?” Jody looked at the three of them with a little apprehension. “What happened to…”

“It’s… It’s a stressful job, Jody. I guess it just got to them in the end. We’re not the only ones here, Penelope is still working with us, but you never really saw her, I guess. I can—”

“No, no. This is good. Maybe I’ll try and find them later, you know?”

“So, what has life been like for the unbreakable Jody Hatchett?” JJ asked. The word was a little tasteless given how devastated Jody had been after the event, and JJ blanched. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She was starting to wonder if going was a mistake. The only one she’d made any real emotional connection to was Emily, and she had already written to Emily every year, so she kind of had an inkling of what was going on in Jody’s life. For Spencer and JJ… it was a little hard when it felt like you were talking to two strangers.

“Jody?”

“Oh! Sorry. Uh, it’s been ever-improving. Started a bit shit, but there’s been happiness since then. I just…” She grimaced, concerned she was sounding like a complete idiot in front of these accomplished agents. “I don’t know what to say to you guys.”

“Everything!” Jody was a little taken aback by how enthusiastic Spencer was, and giggled. “It’s rare that we get to talk with people like you, so I’m definitely taking advantage of that.”

“Well, if I’m telling you everything, I guess I’d better start at the beginning, which is… a little bit of a downer. I moved in with my aunt, and stayed with her for a year. She was nice enough, but wasn’t really… around much, you know? I still loved her, of course, but I never really got as connected. Then I found out she’d had a sudden heart attack. Early deaths must just run in that side of the family, right?”

The three agents didn’t respond, unaware of what they could say that Jody would react well to.

“So, it was back into foster care. I got picked up by some parents, who were goddamn awful. I lived with them for about two years, before they suddenly moved me away from them. I found out later that she’d been picked up for prostitution and he’d gone away not too long after for selling drugs. What wonderful people.”

“To be fair, there’s been worse.” Emily made the joke, and Spencer and JJ turned to look at her, incredulously, wondering why she’d say something so insensitive. But Emily had that established rapport; she knew that Jody was willing to poke fun at anyone and anything, and unsurprisingly, Jody laughed.

“I stayed in foster care for a few years after that, which isn’t really surprising. I was too old for anyone to want to take me in, at that point. And then one day a couple did. I guess maybe they took pity on me, or they were going for the Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt collection, and they wanted to add another victim to their list.”

She smiled when she made the three agents snicker; it was always one of her biggest aims in a conversation. There was nothing better, in her opinion, than to hear a joyful exclamation, and to know that she had caused it.

“But they were… they _are_ really great. I’ve been living with them for four years now, I just graduated, and I’m hoping to go to college soon. I think that my dad’s sperm count is low or something, so they couldn’t biologically conceive children. But they treat me like I’m their flesh and blood.”

“You are. At least in their eyes. Maybe not biologically.”

“Ha, maybe. They also got me a counsellor. A proper one, not a stupid old therapy dimwit. She’s helped me work through a lot. Especially during my more… delinquent days.” Emily raised an eyebrow; this wasn’t something she’d heard about. “Hey, don’t look at me like that! I know you wouldn’t have been angry now, but picture fourteen year old me, wondering if I should tell the FBI agent about that coffee shop I tagged last Friday night.”

“You were a troublemaker then.”

“If by ‘troublemaker’, you mean ‘asshole’, then yes. I feel sorry for my parents; they took in this fourteen-year-old girl with this tragic backstory and eyes that can tear up on cue, and she turned out to be awful. At least at first. I’ve gotten better. I’ve had to.”

“You’ve _had_ to?”

Jody breathed in. They’d finally arrived at the real reason she’d come to see them. Of course, she still wanted to talk to the agents; they still held emotional importance to her. But truth was, she needed a favour.

“I’ve been looking at career prospects. And my mom and dad have been great, if a little unhelpful. They’ve kind of supported me every time I changed my decision, which was about once a week. I thought I eventually had it nailed down. I wanted to go into stand-up comedy. And that was my goal, for ages; I wanted to study English Literature, to learn to appeal to all different audiences, and then make everyone laugh.”

“You’ve definitely got the sense of humour for it,” JJ said, and Jody blushed. “But you said for ages. What changed?”

“I thought about it a little more. While I would definitely enjoy it, and as you said, I can make people laugh… comedy usually requires a little more of an extroverted personality type than what I’ve got.”

“So, what do you want to do?”

“I want to do what you do. I want to become a profiler.”

The three smiled at her. “It’s a good career aspiration.”

“I decided to aim low,” she snickered. She couldn’t resist throwing a light jab at them, in comic relief.

“Hey!”

“But they’re worried about my past. College is concerned that I’ll have a higher risk for mental illness. I’m too much of a danger for them to allow me into the program.”

“They know how ridiculous that is, right?” Outrage resounded from Spencer’s voice, confusing Jody a little.

“No, they don’t.”

“My mother has schizophrenia. I’m at risk for it. I’m still an agent.”

“Unless this is all a delusion constructed by yourself and you’re actually schizophrenic. Anyway, I came to ask… could you write me a letter of recommendation? It’s… it’s a dream of mine, one that I really really really want to complete.”

The three agents grinned at each other. “Of course. We all will.”

Spencer and JJ filed out of the room, sensing that perhaps Emily and Jody would want a little more bonding time. “It was great to see all of you guys again. I see you’re leading the team now?”

“Yeah, they’re great. Although if you’re really a profiler in the making, you should be able to tell me about us three anyway.”

“I considered bringing up the tan on JJ’s finger.”

“You noticed that. Well, it’s a good start.”

“Has she said anything to you guys yet? Does she think you haven’t noticed? It is your job, after all.”

“I don’t think she thinks we don’t know. I just think some things are being sorted out behind the scenes, that we’re all lending them a bit of privacy.”

“All three of them?”

Emily chuckled. She hated to talk about her friends’ private matters like this, but Jody was already good at this. “Jesus, you are quick. Yeah, all three of them. But how about me? You can’t leave me hanging when you’ve already read into the other two so much!”

“Do I need to read you after everything you wrote to me? Fine. You’re…” Jody paused. This was difficult. “Content. Honestly, I don’t know what I can find about you.”

“You are absolutely correct. I am content right now.” Jody smiled. “It’s a good thing you got that right, I wouldn’t have written anything for you if you’d gotten it wrong!”

“Thank you sooo much.”

“It was great to see you. Maybe I’ll see some more of you in the future, Jody.”

“Here’s hoping.”

**Author's Note:**

> I just had to hint at the season 14 stuff, didn’t I! I couldn’t resist. I’m sorry. I might write a sequel to this, it was really enjoyable to write. Even if I didn’t put that much substance into it, it was nice to write about what could happen in the future to one of the victims. Ciao!


End file.
